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Air layering tops

Grow Tech

I've got a stalk of sinsemilla growing in my back
Veteran
:wave:
Fellow Air-layering fan here. I've found "green moss" to work better than peat pellets but I always wish I hand an extra hand when I'm wrapping it around the stem using plastic wrap.

I've found that the tighter the wrap the faster I get roots.

Peace
 

Mycro

Member
Great techniques! I have never done this before but I would think if I'm having trouble getting clones to root, that maybe leaving it on the healthy mom would work better? I would need to make small ones, now I wish I had read this before I just snipped my mom the other day lol Was thinking of using pipe insulation I got cheap or cotton, no pucks here. So many different ways to do this!! Thanks for the info!!
 

FRIENDinDEED

A FRIEND WITH WEED IS A . . .
Veteran
i tried this b4 and now i realize that i didnt wrap them in plastic wrap. . . DAMN!! well if anything i'l be trying it again on some male plants i think i may have, just to see it work.

its a technique i find to be invaluable in the garden in regards to saving/multiplying mom plants.

but i am not sure about the scoring/scraping of the outside "skin". when i did it i actually cut the green covering off, that is until i saw the white part of the stem then i wrapped that exposed area with RRplugs cut in half.

are you supposed to actualy cut that outer layer away like that, or are you just supposed to scar the outer part? if i remember correctly the original thread calls for cutting the outer layer completely away no? (it was a while ago, so i could be wrong
)
 

foomar

Luddite
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Found that removeing a complete circle of the outer stem is the main factor in reliably air layering canna and tomatoes quickly , over 100 now with just a handfull of losses and one which produced shoots for some reason.

 

Mycro

Member
Found that removeing a complete circle of the outer stem is the main factor in reliably air layering canna and tomatoes quickly , over 100 now with just a handfull of losses and one which produced shoots for some reason.


Wow! Those lil roots look awesome!!
 

Budley Doright

Active member
Veteran
Found that removeing a complete circle of the outer stem is the main factor in reliably air layering canna and tomatoes quickly , over 100 now with just a handfull of losses and one which produced shoots for some reason.




I think this is a vastly underutilized method....

I think for medical grows or where plant counts are very important it could be a key of success....

I only did one of these using rapid rooter and bread wrapper...
and clonex

I also used some clear airline hose to help with watering with a syringe....

I was indeed very anal about removing the cambium layer....(green)

Im working towards medical grows and felt this would be a big benefit....

This first clone is about 12 inches.... I pinched the top to encourage branching.....



Foomar.... I want to try this on some blueberry plants as well.... the kind with the little blue berries.....
 

Budley Doright

Active member
Veteran
The Air Layering Process
In the process of airlayering, the bark, the cambium, and the phloem layer are removed by cutting away about a 1 inch wide ring of these tissues from around the circumference of the shoot. The xylem however is left intact. This is known as girdling. Generally, synthetic auxins (in a vehicle of talc powder or by liquid) are applied to the site where the tissues have been removed. (Although applying auxin is the general practice today it is not necessary for many trees). Wet sphagnum moss (or another moisture retentive soil) is then bunched around and over this girdled site and covered with plastic and sealed.

What Happens at the Air Layer Site
The removal of the bark, cambium, and phloem, but not the xylem, prevents carbohydrates and photosynthates from flowing down the trunk past the girdling site but still allows water and mineral nutrients to flow upward to the leaves. This keeps the leafy portions of the shoot from drying out and maintains them with an adequate supply of nutrients. The removal of the actively growing cambium layer prevents the regeneration of phloem and healing over of the wound. Because of this the carbohydrates and photosynthates flowing down the trunk collect at the girdling site. The presence of these excesses of carbohydrates and photosynthates (esp. auxin) at the girdling site, plus the presence of the water in the sphagnum moss, causes dormant adventitious buds in the area to grow into roots. When there are enough roots to sustain the shoot independently the shoot is cut off of the tree and then planted or potted.

The Difference Between Air Layers and Cuttings
The propagation of plants by cuttings occurs by the same principles and has very similar circumstances. The difference is that the shoot is removed from plant at the start and water and nutrients flow up the shoot from the cut site by capillary action instead. This kind of propagation can only be done with small and thin shoots since the flow of water is insufficient for larger branches. Airlayering solves this problem and allows the creation of new plants from very large parts of trees.
 

foomar

Luddite
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Hi BR , well over 100 mostly outdoor but dont use the method very often now , of all the options a split root riot or similar seems the most repeatable.

Handy if a plant from seed has unexpected mad stretch , can easily root the top four nodes in early flower.

If i missed cloneing a promiseing plant , layering the top off and revegging it is sometimes an option if there are no sideshoots to clone.

Not seen any obvious difference in rooting time whether in 20/4 or 12/12 lightcycle , seems directly linked to the vigour and health of the individual plant.

Use it more on outdoor shrubs and specimen plants in local parks and sites we maintain , nobody cares or notices and mostly rooted a month later , filled a large garden for next to no cost over the years.
 

Budley Doright

Active member
Veteran
Hey no need for air-layering, just take a clone and put it in coco. Here's a thread with details etc http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=143894 exactly the same result just takes less time and has less chance of failing.

I dont have much idea why you would claim less chance of failing.....

My clone is about 14 inches now......


thats not a trick that can be done thru capillary action....

=========================================

The Difference Between Air Layers and Cuttings
The propagation of plants by cuttings occurs by the same principles and has very similar circumstances. The difference is that the shoot is removed from plant at the start and water and nutrients flow up the shoot from the cut site by capillary action instead. This kind of propagation can only be done with small and thin shoots since the flow of water is insufficient for larger branches. Airlayering solves this problem and allows the creation of new plants from very large parts of trees.
 

Budley Doright

Active member
Veteran
Hi BR , well over 100 mostly outdoor but dont use the method very often now , of all the options a split root riot or similar seems the most repeatable.

Handy if a plant from seed has unexpected mad stretch , can easily root the top four nodes in early flower.

If i missed cloneing a promiseing plant , layering the top off and revegging it is sometimes an option if there are no sideshoots to clone.

Not seen any obvious difference in rooting time whether in 20/4 or 12/12 lightcycle , seems directly linked to the vigour and health of the individual plant.

Use it more on outdoor shrubs and specimen plants in local parks and sites we maintain , nobody cares or notices and mostly rooted a month later , filled a large garden for next to no cost over the years.


===============================================


I hope I dont get caught in the neighbors yard taking layerings of his plants.....

I saw an experiment using blueberry plants..... he got 4 for 4.....


I also bought a number of cherry trees which are on their own roots (evans chery) which I plan to have a go with this year.....

Foomar.... any comments on this with medical grows????

I would love to start off with a 12-16 inch clones ......
 

SuperConductor

Active member
Veteran
Well I've done both a few times and have 100% success with the linked method and no messing around with tape and keeping the thing wet. When I've done air-layering in the past I've often had problems with the thing drying out before roots begin.

You're right about the size but I only ever take small cuts anyway. They can be grown as big as you want.

Seriously, give it a try I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is. Or don't, I'm cool either way :)
 

Budley Doright

Active member
Veteran
You have a thread going..... why dont you demonstrate how it works with a 12 inch plus clones.....

Your thread seems to show how to root clones in flowering.....


Im looking for a method of taking large 12 inch plus clones....

Seriously .... give it a try..... or dont .....Im cool either way....
 

Budley Doright

Active member
Veteran
Let me further explain....

Im very experienced at cloning..... as far as size goes its unlikely that coco will support any larger clone than vermicullite....

Im sure we have all seen folks cutting leaves in half to reduce transpiration.....

This is because the plant must support itself on capillary action alone.....

At some point a dome is needed.....


Even larger clones.... the stem will simply not support the plant any more sucking water thru capillary action.....


I did in fact put in an airline tube to prevent drying the clone out.....


This current clone was about 14 inches at the start.... I piched about 2 inches off the top.....

There are a lot of methods of cloning.... and its very desirable to have large clones......


yet I dont see any pics of big fat 12 inch clones execpt in this thread.....
 

foomar

Luddite
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Tried coco years back and it came contaminated with some kind of root maggot , wilting metre high plant halfway through an eight week flower cycle layered off easily and exceptionally fast between nodes 3 and four.

Moved to the edge of the grow and lower light , growth stalled for two weeks but picked up and finished stable at eleven weeks with comparable yield.

Dont think any other technique could do that without loseing most of the leaves and much of the advantage.

Might not work as well with some known sensitive genetics , would not have tried on blueberryX or diesels.


Trench layering is mentioned early in this thread , have seen this happen a few times outdoors where a mole or rabbit has disturbed and buried damaged limbs naturally.

If it works randomly in nature it should work well in a more controlled way , strangely have not done this to canna yet but will find something lanky now and try but the principle is the same both ways.
 
can this be done to a branch of a plant just before the big harvest at the end of flowering??? i guess it would not matter how lignified the cambium is, correct?? we are cutting it anyhow....any comments would be great.
 

Budley Doright

Active member
Veteran
I just checked my plant I did my first air layer on.... I assume roots started about day 10.... not unlike regular cloning.....

In this thread post 25 foomar includes a picture of the removal of the cambrium layer.... the green outer layer in cannabis.....

It also shows a rapid rooter with roots.... mine is substantially better rooted than the one in post 25...


I also used a piece of airline hose and a syringe to water..... that worked very well.....


I was more anal abot removing all of the green tissue....

All I can say is it worked fabulously....


I now have a rooted 12 inch clone....


I still even more strongly that with a mother and you are dealing with plant counts....


this is the way to go.....


No dinky little clones....


My air layered clone looks perfect.... no lost leaves.... nothing.....

Im going to replant it...and give it a breadbag dome for 48 hours or so....


try it ....youll like it....



Big thanks to foomar.....


make that a 10 inch clone..... I forgot I hacked the top off before I started the air layer.....
 

foomar

Luddite
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Congratulations BR , most failures seem to be due to not removeing an entire ring of tissue and the plant treating it as a wound , its the only thing i use a loupe and a new scalpel blade for and take my time.

Have done enougth to expect near 100% if i cut right and keep it damp , over thousands of bubbler rooted cuts its 90%.

Have noticed that a root system will form much faster than expected and will reach a 30 day veg size in 14 days or less , more fibrous in nature and possibly more efficient.

Sometimes the new leaf growth will look like reveg but fades fast , not sure why as still in 12/12 cycle but sats do it more it seems.

Only downside is its a lot of stress and if its a near hermie it might force it to turn , borderline stable Bogglegum and Blueberry clones consistently hermie if i layer them but never in normal flower.
 

Budley Doright

Active member
Veteran
Just a note for future ref....

I transplanted by 10 inch clone but didnt need the bread bag dome thingy....

I just put it under floros.... today begins the big light.....


I also an air layer to the same clone that I air layered from the mother plant.....


this time I used loose rockwool as the medium instead of a rapid rooter....

I included the airline hose to facilitate watering...... a straw could also be used.....
 
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